I recently upgraded from PreEl 3 to 8, and have been unable to take video clips that I previously used in PreEl 3 and use them in 8. When I import them and place them on the timeline, they playback extremely pixelated- there a 15 'bands' running horizontally across the screen and every other one of them are extremely pixelated. This happens with a variety of video formats- .mov , .wmv ( in fact, one created by the slideshow function in Photoshop Elements 8 (imported onto PreEl 3). The preview viewer shows some of the clips normally, but when viewed in the editor, they're pixelated. These same clips work just fine in PreEL3.

I use a Dell Inspiron 6000 with an ATI Radeon X300 graphics card. I reloaded the latest graphics card driver. I downloaded the lastest Quicktime. I tried all the switches suggested in the 'help' pages involving changing the 'interpret footage' sttings, and also changed the video options/field options settings.

Also, don't forget that every video format is going to perform a little bit differently in Premiere Elements.

You MUST ensure that your project is set up specifically for your source video in order to get satisfactory results. (When your project is properly set up, most video clips will NOT have a red line above them when placed on your timeline until you add effects or transitions to them.)

A WMV might work as source video in a project set up for standard DV video. However, it will need to be rendered on the timeline before it will appear at full playback quality. (Press Enter and the red line above the clip will turn green.)

WMVs don't make the best source video, however. And it's best to convert them to DV-AVIs before you bring them into Premiere Elements, per the FAQs to the right of this forum.

No offense please, but I must respectively disagree with your spin on this.

We all know that the video and audio codecs are major players in this. And that .wmv and .avi and .mov are file extensions and wrappers (container formats). And project presets, especially with regard to 5.1 channel sound and AVCHD, have gotten users into problems especially in Premiere Elements 7. And, most of all, we know the perils of generalizations. All issues need to be addressed on a case by case basis. And, details are critical to me.

But, when you leave the following general impressions, we need to talk.....

"WMVs don't make the best source video, however. And it's best to convert them to DV-AVIs before you bring them into Premiere Elements"

"(When your project is properly set up, most video clips will NOT have a red line above them when placed on your timeline until you add effects or transitions to them.)"

What are these "most video clips" to which you refer?

Before Premiere Elements 9 where AVCHD and DV AVI became "native formats", please cite me an example that I can try where I can bring a wmv video or any non DV AVI content into any version of Premiere Elements (even with a perfectly matched project preset) and not get a red line over the Timeline. Whether you "have to" render the Timeline at all is a well told story.

The issue that started this thread appeared to me to be one that should not be so easily filed under convert to DV AVI, especially when the user has a HD source media. Maybe conversion to DV AVI, sacrificing the resolution, has to be the answer, but I do not believe that we are anywhere near coming to that suggestion.

I hope that we can see each other's point of view on this, and we all can get this user moving forward.

It's always most efficient to work with a format that you can edit natively, Tony (i.e., no red line above the clips when you put them on your timeline). This saves you constantly rendering, makes much more efficient use of the system and greatly limits the likely that the program will choke on the transcoding.

So you're absolutely right -- you can add a wide variety of formats to a project and the program can often re-render and assimilate them. But this ability can vary from system to system, depending on how your machine is set up.

All I'm saying is that it's always to your advantage to use a video file format that you KNOW will work. Otherwise, you take your chances.

The issue that started this thread appeared to me to be one that should not be so easily filed under convert to DV AVI, especially when the user has a HD source media.

and asked "Is that so?"

To clarify the "especially when the user has a HD source media" part of that quote....that user was any user. jsurow1 has not responded yet to basic questions that would put this to rest. I would like to see that "Enable GPU Playback" setting looked at first as a quick remedy to the problems without having to add file conversion to the workflow. But, whatever works to get this user moving forward in Premiere Elements 8.0/8.0.1 projects.Thank you for your questions to this end.

When I unchecked 'Enable GPU Playback' the monitor view improved, though the playbackwas mildly uneven. THis problem resolved after rendering the clip.

BTW- I am runing PreEl 8.01.

I am mixing clip types,but I did in PreEl3,as well.

My two cents: While i could convert each file by rendering them in PreEl 3 or other programs- I shouldn't have to do that! If it is a video type that is supported(and that works in an earlier version of PreEl, it should work unadulterated in version 8!

Thanks to all that replied.

Neale, if the screen shots from Gspot still is helpful, here they are:

Did you try my suggestion to view at 100% and *NOT* 'fit' (right-click in the monitor window)? If you have 'fit' selected then those 160x120 clips are definitely going to look rubbish expanded to fill the monitor screen.

At the onset the focus of your thread was the "view very pixelated in PreEl 8". From what you wrote, I am understanding that, as suggested, "Enable GPU Playback" considerations under Edit Menu/Preferences/General took care of that issue.

Rendering the Timeline to get the best possible preview of the end product (for effects, transitions, titles, and non DV AVI content) has always been there. Generalizing now....Of all the Premiere Elements versions that I have, my Premiere Elements 8.0/8.0.1 and 9 appear to need this more than my earlier versions of 6 and 7 in order to get a smooth playback of the Timeline in the Edit Mode Monitor. It probably is not involved in this case, but you could look at Edit Menu/Preferences/General and the options No, Smooth, and Page Scroll under the Timeline playback scrolling. But the bottom line in this Rendering the Timeline business is that you DO NOT HAVE to do it. It is a preview thing. BUT, it is your window of opportunity to catch a problem sooner than later.

It was important that you did describe the properties of your video. If you had HD, downgrading via the DV AVI route is an option. You just lose resolution. But upgrading your 160 x 120 and/or 320 x 200 to 720 x 480 (DV AVI) would be expect to give you major quality problems. In either case, rendering the Timeline would not be necessary for the "unedited" DV AVI on that Timeline. Out of curiosity, how have you been and how do you intend to export your Timeline content?

Please do not hesitate to ask if you need clarification on anything that I have written.

I did what you asked- 100%, not 'fit', but only after I changed the GPU setting. So today after getting your message, I turned the GPU setting back again and found that my problem was gone! Whether 100% or 'fit', the video clips played fine. I closed the project and started a new one to check, and again had no problems (with the same and also different raw clips).

I should mention that before I reported this problem originally I even reinstalled PRE EL 8!

So I don't know if the 100% setting made a difference. BTW, it wasn't that the picture was mildy distorted/stretched- it was unviewable with huge stipes of pixelation. As I originally mentioned, there were ?15 stripes across the window and every other one was distorted; the 'other' stripes were fine! This sounds like a decoding problem, doesn't it?

As for your question, ATR, of how I was going to export the timeline content, I'm sure I know what you mean?

If you mean, what was my project going to be; I was going to make a dvd of family movies that I previously captured to DV throough my camcorder. When I tried to use some of the hundreds of clips I previoously made, when I first upgraded to PReEl8, I discovered this problem. So I was experimenting with different clip formats to see if I could diaagnose the problem.

Definitely install the Premiere Elements 8.0.1 Update (Patch). Adobe calls it a requirement and for good reason. I found that it dramatically improved performance across the board when it installed. I now have a solidly performing Premiere Elements 8.0/8.0.1 whose performance is on a par or above previous versions.

Remember, you will not see the program 8.0 changed after the 8.0.1 install. You will get a message after the installation telling you if the installation was successfully. It typically is. I do not know why Adobe decided to leave the version at 8.0 instead of 8.0.1, but....

The 8.0.1 will automatically shutoff the automatic Background Rendering feature (one of the two major resource grabbers). Use the Enter Key for rendering the Timeline when and if needed. The other major resource grabber is the AutoAnalzyer feature in the Elements Organizer. Also found in Capture Window. Do not use AutoAnalzyer in the Capture Window and turn OFF the feature in Elements Organizer. If and when needed, you can right click the thumbnail in Organize and select Run AutoAnalzyer.

I would encourage you to leave the Monitor set at "Fit" and uncheck "Enable GPU Playback" in Edit Menu/Preferences/General. In case I have not posted this before, please check out the Adobe TechNote "Troubleshoot digital video playback (Adobe Premiere Elements 8)"

What you are seeing in that Edit Monitor goes well beyond the Fit (the default) vs 100% magnification set for the Edit Mode Monitor. The approximate resolution to that issue is (in your case) removing the check mark next to "Enable GPU Playback" in Edit Menu/Perferences/General. It has worked for everyone who has run into the same problem as you describe. It worked for me, and apparently works for you also.

Since it is Adobe's prescribed fix, the reasons behind the recommendation are best stated by Adobe in its Adobe Tech Note.

According to the Adobe Tech Note, the issue goes to the GPU (graphic processing unit) component of your video (display) card and "display cards that do not fully support Direct 3D".

As for the Premiere Elements 8.0 and the 8.0.1 Update Patch. You can read the history on that in the threads in this forum. That Patch involves a lot of factors, including NVIDIA video card issues. As I said before, Adobe describes this Patch as a requirement for Premiere Elements 8.0 and with good reason.

I think that you are heading in the right direction opting to use that 8.0.1 Update Patch version as well as to remove the check mark next to the "Enable GPU Playback" option.

I am not sure of your background, so please excuse if the following links offer information that you are well aware of

Those red lines above your clips indicate a need to render the timeline in order to display the video at full resolution. (When the timeline is rendered, the lines along the top of the timeline will turn green.)